Swiss Business Class on the Fokker 100 between Zurich and Warsaw

Arriving at my gate, I got a quick glance at the Fokker 100 aircraft operating this flight. The plane was emblazoned with the Helvetic Airways logo. Signs were displayed for the flight being operated for Swiss International.

Boarding the plane was a comfortable process and I suspect it should be the case in Switzerland. Seats onboard the plane was in a 2-3 configuration and there are no difference for Business or Economy class, as per the usual intra-Europe style.

Bulkhead on the Fokker 100

While I was in the row with 3 seats, there was no one in the whole row. Either way, the seat next to you is blocked off in the ‘Business class’ cabin. Legroom on the seat was basic, and standing up the plane was definitely more comfortable than the average regional jets like the CRJs or the Embraers.

Legroom for the intra-Europe flight

Settling down on my window seat, I got a view of the BAe Avro jet that I took on the Swiss flight between Warsaw and Zurich. And this was unique in a Star Alliance livery. The baggage handlers were also loading bags onto the airplane as the boarding continued.

Star Alliance livery on a Swiss BAe Avro

Passengers in the Business class cabin were provided with a bottle of water and a refreshing towel as they waited. No pre-departure drinks, but the bottle of water sufficed for me. Boarding progressed while I sit down and check out the seat.

Bottled water and refreshing towel

The bulkhead seat was not a bad space to be seated for this flight and onboard this particular plane. There was ample space for myself, and I consider myself to be of average height. It can certainly be a squeeze for someone taller.

View from row 1 inside the Fokker 100

As I waited for the boarding to be complete, I checked out the inflight magazines, since Swiss does have a very nice magazine onboard and if passengers get a new issue, there are postcards in them for a keepsake of the flight.

Inflight magazines on Swiss

With all passengers boarded, the flight does not seem overly full and Business class has a light load as is the case in intra-Europe flights. I mean who bothers to pay for the seats if they are essentially the same?

Swiss airplanes at Zurich

During the taxi to the runway, I managed to spot Emirates A380 on the tarmac. I believe Singapore Airlines flies to Zurich with the A380 as well. For a relatively small European airport, that just speaks volumes to the rich business loads to this city.

Emirates A380 taxiing at Zurich

Take off was quick with no wait and the plane made a turn around, allowing me to get a nice view of Zurich.

Take-off views of OberglattLägern mountain ridge

From this point onwards the relatively nice winter weather made me focused on out of the window. Without any inflight entertainment, this was as good as it gets, and my pictures can attest to that fact as we cruised past the Swiss Alps.

View of Zurich and the lakeBorder between Switzerland and Austria

The view of the Alps continued as we cruised past Switzerland into Austria with views of the Tyrolean Alps.

Tyrolean alps

As we flew past Austria, the crew came around to conduct the meal service. Lunch options were chicken breast with broccoli and potatoes or a vegetarian option of rice with curry and chestnuts. I picked the latter, as I am not a huge fan of chicken breast.

Inflight meal of curry rice with chestnuts

For drinks, I got myself some apple juice which the crew placed on the tray table in the middle seat. That was a nice touch to provide more space. These little touches makes a huge difference to the whole flying experience and perhaps may make passengers consider paying for the extra premium of Business class.

Apple juice

The food on Swiss was good as always and I finished everything on the plate. With the end of the meal, the crew once again asked if I wanted coffee or tea. Naturally I obliged with some coffee as I have quite a long day ahead with the layover and another trans-Atlantic flight.

Coffee service after the meal

A while later, another refreshing towel and mints were distributed to passengers. After finishing my cup of coffee, it was time to check out the lavatory. Being a small narrow body plane and one that is relatively old, the lavatory is smaller than the more modern interiors of other regional jets. However it was still functional and not too shabby.

Refreshing towel and mintsLavatory onboard the Fokker 100

Cloudy weather throughout the second half of the flight meant there was not much to do and I had a short rest by relaxing on the seat for a while and reading the newspaper I obtained from the lounge. The crew did check if I wanted any more beverage during the flight and distributed the classic Swiss chocolate bars to thank us for flying with them.

Seat 1F with chocolates left on the armrest

The descent into Warsaw’s airport was equally uneventful with a quick landing into the relatively quiet airport for a capital city. There was not much wide-body jets aside from LOT’s 787 in the airport, as even Qatar Airways sent their A320s here.

Descent into WarsawHighway junction seen before landingQatar Airways A320 at Warsaw Chopin Airport

With another completion of a flight with Swiss, I would certainly cherish a flight with them. Though they might have some outdated planes on their fleet, they were refreshing to fly with as the crew did a great job and the inflight meals, coffee and chocolates are top-notch. Which probably makes them a joy to fly with!